Potatoes are one of the most common and important food sources on the planet, and they contain a wealth of health benefits that make them all the more essential as a staple dietary item for much of the world’s population.

Health benefits of potatoes include the following:

Contain Antioxidants

Potatoes are rich in compounds like flavonoids, carotenoids and phenolic acids.

These compounds act as antioxidants in the body by neutralizing potentially harmful molecules known as free radicals. When free radicals accumulate, they can increase the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Promote Weight Gain

Potatoes are primarily made of carbohydrates and contain very little protein. This makes them an ideal diet for lean and thin people who desperately want to put on weight.

Lower Blood Pressure

Since high blood pressure can occur for a number of reasons that include diabetes, tension, indigestion, nutrient balance, diet, and many others, different treatments are required. Luckily, potatoes can alleviate multiple possible causes and can be used to relieve high blood pressure due to tension.

Incredibly Filling

Aside from being nutritious, potatoes are also incredibly filling. In one study, 11 people were fed 38 common foods and asked to rate foods based on how filling they were. Potatoes received the highest fullness rating of them all. In fact, potatoes were rated as being seven times more filling than croissants, which were ranked as the least filling food item.

Get in the know. Subscribe to Azura for updates on the blog and the magazine.

Does the mere idea of waking up early make you shudder? You’re probably a night owl — and you were probably born that way. The scientific name for your preferred waking and sleeping schedule is called your chronotype, and it’s partially controlled by your genes.

There are a few benefits that include:

Workplace Flexibility

As a night person, you have probably learned to adapt to the typical “morning-person” schedule, arriving at work at 8 a.m. and leaving at 5 p.m. Not only can you thrive on a typical schedule, though, you can also adapt easily to a less-standard day or extended hours.

Energy to Tend to Young Children

While the morning person can handle childcare and school preparedness in the morning, the night owl is invaluable to watching over young children at nighttime. You have the energy to hang out with them, watch (or play) their games, read to them, and get them ready for bed.

Physical Fitness

The evening is a great time to work out, especially in the summertime. You can have a leisurely dinner and then go for a 5K run (or longer) at, say, 7:30 or 8 p.m. while there is plenty of light. You could also take a bike ride, walk, or visit the gym.

Preparedness

The nighttime is perfect for preparing yourself and your family for the following day. You can prep coffee for the morning, pack gear for an early start to an outdoor adventure, prepare meals or elements of an entrée or side dish for a potluck dinner, gather items for a crock pot meal at home, launder clothes for wear the next day, and more.

A Rich Social Life

As a night person, you have the physical and emotional reserves to visit with friends in the evening. You may be more likely to enjoy dinner, drinks, and conversation after hours. As a result, you can expand your social circle and deepen bonds with friends.

Extended Career-Related Availability

Being able to have a lucid conversation in the evening can be a significant benefit for those who must work late or have colleagues in different time zones.

Get in the know. Subscribe to Azura for updates on the blog and the magazine.

Letting go is a process. It is not really a mental switch that you pull or can turn off.  Some people think letting go is a form of abdication.  It isn’t.  It is more a way of giving up control so that you can stop forcing the world to be the way you want it to be. The less you strong arm the world into “your way” the more you are open to all the world has to offer. Letting something or someone go can often be the most difficult thing that you have ever endured. We often create strong attachments to things that are always changing. Even within ourselves there is constant change, including our thoughts, behaviors and emotions. Holding onto things too tightly can prevent us from moving forward.

There are many, many reasons why letting go is actually good for you. Below are some great reasons to let go of some of these unhealthy attachments.

You realize that you are in control of some things. Letting go of something outside of your control, helps you realize what you can control. You may not be in control of most things, but there are things you can control. You might realize that you can control your thoughts. You can seek personal development and improve your skills to help you get better opportunities in the future.

You learn to appreciate and value other things in your life. Letting go of the uncontrollable can help you reflect on the things that are going right in your life. Sure that opportunity didn’t work out, but there are many other amazing things in your life to be grateful and happy about. When you let go, you start to take notice of the supportive people in your life, the qualities you have to offer others, the daily things we often take for granted and other opportunities that you maybe didn’t notice before.

You can work on improving yourself. Once you start letting go, you can take a closer look within yourself. You might be sabotaging your own happiness when you hold on tightly. Not being able to let go, prevents you from exploring things within your own life that are holding you back. If you had a difficult time letting go of a friendship, you may want to explore why it was so hard for you to leave a toxic and one-sided friendship.

You can understand. Letting go of bitterness, resentment or any negative situations, allows you to look back and understand what happened. The world is not black and white. You can be honest about what actions you made to allow a situation to happen or not happen. You allow yourself to develop tolerance and even listen to what others have been telling you. You might reflect on painful memories and seen the ways you have grown since that situation and forgive the people who have hurt you.

Get in the know. Subscribe to Azura for updates on the blog and the magazine.

A diet myth is advice that becomes popular without facts to back it up. When it comes to weight loss, many popular beliefs are myths and others are only partly true. Here are some facts to help you sort through what you hear.

The Less Fat You Eat, the Better

Your body needs three nutrients to thrive: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Yes, fats! Good-for-you fats found in foods like nuts, seeds, fish, avocado, olives, and low-fat dairy give you energy, help rebuild cells, and produce needed hormones. The fats to limit or avoid are saturated and trans fats, found in foods like butter, high-fat dairy, red meat, and many processed foods.

Drink More Water to Peel off Pounds

There’s no doubt water is vital for your body — but a weight loss aid? Not really. If drinking water keeps you away from high-calorie drinks, it can certainly help you lose weight. But adding more water to your diet, without changing anything else, makes no difference in lowering the numbers on your scale.

If the label says “no-fat” or “low-fat,” you can eat all you want and not gain weight.

Many low-fat or no-fat foods have added sugar, starch, or salt to make up for the reduction in fat. These “wonder” foods often have just as many calories, or more, than the regular version. Check the nutrition label to see how many calories are in a serving. Be sure to check the serving size too.

Athletes Need a Ton of Protein

Everyone knows an athlete needs tons of protein to build strength and muscle, right? Well, not exactly. Most American diets provide plenty of protein even for athletes. The real secret to boosting athletic strength and muscle is to get enough calories, focus on intense training, and get a carb- and protein-containing snack (such as nonfat chocolate milk) soon after an intense muscle workout. Special powders, bars, and supplements need not apply!

Carbs Lead to Weight Gain

Stop believing this diet myth. Not all carbohydrates are bad for you. But it seems like people lose weight on low-carbohydrate diets, right? Those diets almost always restrict calories, too, and fewer calories add up to fewer pounds over time no matter how many of your calories come from fat, protein, or carbohydrates.

Get in the know. Subscribe to Azura for updates on the blog and the magazine.

Getting up early is definitely one of the routines successful people have in common. Many of them strongly stand for it, claiming it’s being an early bird that allows them to stay ahead of the competition.

The fact is, waking up at dawn is a powerful weapon everyone has access to, yet many refuse to take advantage of it.

You increase your productivity.

The truth is, starting very early gives you that mental boost—while the rest of the world still sleeps, you are already thriving: you’ll check off the majority from your to-do list by the lunch.

You feel more energized.

Granted that you didn’t pull an all-nighter, you’ll feel more energy during the day when you get up early. But it’s not only just the fact of waking up that makes you energetic; more important are the routines you implement.

You thrive in a distraction-free environment.

When it’s 4 or 5 a.m., you can be sure most of the people are still sleeping and dreaming. There’s nothing big taking place, the world prepares to start a new day, but it’s still in the lazy stage. The morning silence is a special part of the day. While dreamers keep dreaming about their ideal lifestyle, successful people wake up earlier to make their dreams become reality.

Get in the know. Subscribe to Azura for updates on the blog and the magazine.

Our smartphones allow us to communicate digitally at lightning speed with anyone in the world, and it would seem that they are leading us to become not so smart at communicating and interacting with each other in real life.

The impact on sleep is also significant with many people admitting to sleeping with their phone under their pillow or having it bedside. Rather than yawn, roll over and acknowledge your partner, a new habit of checking the phone for any cyber-activity has formed, never mind checking the real human lying next to you. On a side note, research shows that smart phones are having adverse effects on sleep health due to too much stimulation, blue/green light omission and rising levels of anxiety caused by the dependence on the device.

Recognizing that you have an issue with your phone dependency is the first step towards nipping the habit in the bud. Here are some behaviors that might lead you to reassess your relationship with your phone.

• When your need to check or be with your phone starts to impact on your relationships, work or ability to focus on a daily activity.
• When you must sleep with your phone or have it bedside
• Feeling anxious or excessively upset when you are without your phone
• Getting lost or completely preoccupied with your phone (for example, hours spent engrossed in social media)
• A physical need to have your phone with you at all times
• Dangerous or irresponsible use of phone such as texting or checking your phone while driving

Like all things in life, moderation is the key and this is also true of phone and technology use.

Get in the know. Subscribe to Azura for updates on the blog and the magazine.

Many of us have been taught to go to school, work hard, get good grades and get a “good job.” Usually, at the time, we don’t even really know what that means, but are told that certain ones are “good.” So, we put on our hustle and do everything we can to get one of those.

It’s easy to just go through the motions and continue to do what’s comfortable and familiar. But for those of you who seek fulfillment, who want to do more, these questions will help you paint a clearer picture of what you want to do with your life.

What are the things I’m most passionate about?

The first step to living a more fulfilling life is to think about the things that you’re passionate about. It’s essential to know what you’re passionate about so you can identify the very thing that drives you and makes you happy.

What are my goals in life?

Goals are a necessary component to set you up for a happy future. So answer these questions: What are your health goals? What are your career goals? What are your family goals?

How hard am I willing to work to get what I want?

Great accomplishments never come easy. If you want to do great things with your life, you’re going to have to make a great effort. That will probably mean putting in more hours the average person, getting outside your comfort zone and learning as much as you can to achieve as much as you can. But here’s the cool part: it’s often the journey that is the most fulfilling part. It’s during these seemingly small, insignificant moments that you’ll often find that “aha” moments that helps you answer the question,

So take the first step toward improving your life. It’s never too late to do what you’re passionate about and what you truly desire!

Get in the know. Subscribe to Azura for updates on the blog and the magazine.

In today’s fast paced business world, the ability to achieve work life balance is becoming more and more difficult. Employers expect more from staff, and we are increasingly putting additional pressure on ourselves to achieve greater results. But when did it become acceptable? Many of us have allowed this to happen,however this should not be the case.

Maintaining work life balance is not only important for your personal health and relationships, but it can also improve the efficiency of your work performance.

We experience fewer health problems

It’s no secret that when we are run down, tired or stressed; our immune system is the one to suffer. The fact that stress can impact your health so much is even more of a reason as to why maintaining a healthy work life balance is important. Taking the time to look after yourself by exercising, eating well and relaxing can contribute to limiting your health problems and make you a more efficient worker during business hours.

Proper attention is given

With a balance between work and home, comes greater control of where your focus remains. If you leave your work at the office, your full attention will be on your home life and giving your relationships the attention in which they deserve. When spending time with your partner, children or friends, your mind should be solely focused on the experience you are having, rather than thinking of work concurrently.

Less burnouts

Occasional stress is normal for every job, burnouts are certainly not! The negative effects of a burnout impact every area of your life, including your personal and social life. Work life balance is important as it allows you to separate work and home, meaning that the stress of work should stay at work, and not follow you outside of office hours.

Get in the know. Subscribe to Azura for updates on the blog and the magazine.

Workplace disagreements are sometimes inevitable. The office can be a stressful, competitive place and that doesn’t always bring out the best in everyone and handling these office conflicts can be confusing. We can’t apply tactics that might work when we’re fighting with a friend, like simply avoiding them and hoping the problem will resolve itself. And since this conflict is going down in a professional setting, we have to be extra careful with our words, attitude and general handling of the situation. But when we put aside our egos and are willing to listen, find common ground, and respectfully engage with our coworkers.

Here are a few ways to resolve it in a professional and courteous manner that won’t get you fired:

Address The Conflict.

If trouble has been brewing between you and a coworker for a while, don’t wait until you both feel completely hostile towards one another. Addressing the issue early will prevent it from snowballing into an even bigger problem.

Discuss The Problem Face-To-Face

Don’t let the problem marinate any longer than you have to; schedule a face-to-face meeting in a private setting with your coworker, and block off plenty of time so that both of you can express where you’re coming from.

Keep An Open Mind And Listen

The key ingredient to understanding a coworker’s point of view is listening to how and why they feel how they feel. When it’s your colleague’s turn to talk, hear them out and don’t interrupt. However, once they’ve made their case, don’t be afraid to ask respectful and thoughtful questions if you feel unclear about any points they raised.

Stay Calm

Easier said than done, you might be thinking. But there are steps you can take to help yourself stay calm and collected. If you’re prone to becoming emotional quickly, bring notes with your key points and refer to them to keep yourself on track. It may even be helpful to role play the “worst case scenario” with a friend the evening before your meeting.

Get in the know. Subscribe to Azura for updates on the blog and the magazine.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to keep your blood sugar in the range your doctor has advised, it can be too high or too low. Blood sugar that is too high or too low can make you very sick.

High blood sugar (over 240) usually comes on slowly. It happens when you don’t have enough insulin in your body. High blood sugar can happen if you miss taking your diabetes medicine, eat too much, or don’t get enough exercise. Sometimes, medicines you take for other problems may cause high blood sugar.

If your blood sugar drops too low, you can have a low blood sugar reaction, called hypoglycemia. A low blood sugar reaction can come on fast. It is caused by taking too much insulin, missing a meal, delaying a meal, exercising too much, or drinking too much alcohol. Sometimes, medicines you take for other health problems can cause blood sugar to drop.

Follow these specific strategies to help control blood sugar:

Exercise

A regular exercise program has been shown to help manage blood sugar levels over time, and taking a varied approach to fitness is good for diabetes and health in general.

Weight Loss

If you’re overweight, it will be easier to stabilize blood sugar more effectively if you lose even a few pounds.

Diet

Many people with diabetes achieve better control over their blood sugar by limiting the kinds of foods that can cause blood sugar to spike. For example, your doctor might recommend cutting back on carbohydrates and eating more lean protein, fruits, and vegetables. Fiber can be so helpful that sprinkling even a small amount of a fiber supplement onto a meal that otherwise might spike blood sugar can help stabilize it.

Drinking Wisely

Alcohol can cause an immediate rise in blood sugar and then a drop a few hours later. It’s best to stick to moderate amounts and have some solid food with your beverage.

Get in the know. Subscribe to Azura for updates on the blog and the magazine.